


silk, satin and lace (discontinued)

by loretoo



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Prostitution, Crossing Timelines, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Implied/Referenced Underage Prostitution, M/M, set in the 1800s
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-23
Updated: 2020-06-12
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:08:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22866853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loretoo/pseuds/loretoo
Summary: "When Doyoung was scouted, he was only sixteen and he was living on the streets. Just a skinny and dirty little thing who stole and did what he had to do for a piece of bread or an apple. The oldest of a group of orphans who, after a series of unfortunate circumstances, had ended up living under one of the many bridges of the Han River."Doyoung sells his body and soul to a strange looking lady in exchange of silk bedsheets and lace robes.
Relationships: Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung/Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten
Comments: 4
Kudos: 43





	1. always running

“Let’s run away.” Doyoung whispered, pressing a kiss against his love’s neck. And then another, and another. He had to be careful of not leaving any marks. Even though he desperately wanted to claim him, he wasn’t his to own. 

Before Ten could answer, Doyoung knew what he was going to say. The tired sigh escaping his pretty mouth was everything he needed. “Can’t we just enjoy this?”

Doyoung pressed his forehead against Ten’s, closing his eyes. Exhausted. “What about this situation is enjoyable, my love?”

Ten took Doyoung’s cold hands between his and slowly kissed every knuckle. “Just… having each other.” he whispered. “Let’s enjoy that.”

***

When Doyoung was scouted, he was only sixteen and he was living on the streets. Just a skinny and dirty little thing who stole and did what he had to do for a piece of bread or an apple. The oldest of a group of orphans who, after a series of unfortunate circumstances, had ended up living under one of the many bridges of the Han River.

The streets were all Doyoung knew. His family had left him in an orphanage when he was three because they could no longer feed him, so he didn’t remember anything about them. Just a fraction of a memory, a frail looking woman with a baby between her arms, a bunch of children from different ages crying around her, an empty cooking pot and a weak fire. Doyoung wasn’t really sure if it was a real memory or if his imagination had come up with it. According to him, in that memory he wasn’t crying. He just stared silently at her mother. Maybe that’s why she had given him away, maybe she thought he was the strongest one of her kids. 

The orphanage was almost as poor as his family’s house, but at least he had friends and some toys and warm soup at the end of the day. But after living there for a couple of years, a great fire burned the entire block down to the ground along with the tiny orphanage. It was simple, cruel, ugly. And just like that, Doyoung had no longer a roof above his head at the age of eight.

On Doyoung’s thirteen birthday, he woke up next to the cold body of the only paternal figure Doyoung ever had. Kyungsoo, the oldest one in the group and the one who took care of them unconditionally. Doyoung admired him greatly. In Doyoung’s eyes, he was everything a leader was. He was strong and determined, he never complained, he was always ready to give away his portion of food if it wasn’t enough. 

It was a freezing morning when Kyungsoo didn’t wake up. He had been sick for weeks and sleeping in a humid bed did nothing for his health. After the screams and the crying, after the police took his body away but didn’t tell them where or offered any help whatsoever when they saw a bunch of kids in such poor conditions, when the sadness subsided and Doyoung could think straight again, he realized he was now the oldest one in the group and the rest of the little kids, his  _ family _ , were under his protection.

Minhyung, Donghyuck, Jeno and Renjun were everything he had now, and he was everything they had as well. They were the reason Doyoung woke up every morning and he would do whatever he had to do to feed them and warm them up.

So Doyoung sold newspapers, cleaned windows, worked at the factory and sometimes he stole what he could. Other times… other times he did things no kid should ever do.

Visits of old men with money and a particular taste for young boys weren’t a rare sight under the bridge. Doyoung made sure to scare them away most of the time, but when his kids were starving, crying at night because one piece of bread just wasn’t enough to fill their bellies, Doyoung accepted. 

That was their life. Doyoung and his kids, a small fire, a humid little cottage that the river periodically took away when it rained. It was tough, but Doyoung wouldn’t have it any other way. This boys were his family, his everything. His real family had abandoned him, but this boys… even after everything, had stayed by his side. 

  
  
It was also a cold morning when Doyoung met her for the first time. All the boys were sleeping in a human pile, trying to warm each other up however they could, when a small hand woke Doyoung up. It was Jeno, one of the youngests, always the first one to wake up.

“There’s a lady outside asking for you, hyung.” he whispered. “She looks rich!” 

Doyoung crawled outside. The wind was so cold that his bones hurt, but he was so confused he didn’t have time to think about that. Old rich men were common, but to see a woman in a place like this was definitely unusual, to say the least. And on top of that, such a peculiar looking one. She was tall, thin and middle aged. She was wearing an expensive looking, bright red coat. Almost a bright as her nails, her lips and hair, that were also red. She was a beautiful woman, despite age leaving its first marks on her face. She looked at Doyoung with such a cold gaze, it made Doyoung wonder if this woman brought the winter with her.

“You must be Doyoung.” she said, eyeing him up and down.

“Yes, ma’am. That’s me.” 

“How old are you, Doyoung?”

“Sixteen, ma’am.” 

She lifted one of her ungloved hands and barely touched Doyoung’s chin, turning his face from side to side. Doyoung was so stunned, he left her do as she pleased. “Can you show me your teeth?”

Doyoung did, doing some sort of awkward smile. 

“Nice, very nice indeed. Come with me.”

Doyoung got defensive. He had heard of people selling their teeth and he wasn’t at all ready to do that yet. “Where?”

“I have a job offer for you, boy.”

  
  


***

Doyoung stared at himself in the mirror of his boudoir. He had been trying for almost an hour to get rid of the nasty bruise Mr. Kim left on his neck to no avail. Madam Red had warned the old man that if it happened again he could no longer come back, so Doyoung probably wouldn't be seeing his disgusting face again. Good, Doyoung hated the way he smelled.

There was a knock on his door. “Come in.”

“Hey, you busy?”

“I don’t have another appointment till noon, what’s up?”

Ten, dressed in one of his best robes, sat cross legged on Doyoung’s bed. “I finished your book.”

“Oh, did you like it? I cried at the end.” 

Ten laughed. “Of course you did, you’re such a hopeless romantic.”

Doyoung faked indignation. “You’re just cold!” 

“I’m kidding. I cried, too.” Ten left the book on the bed and stood behind Doyoung, so they could look at each other through the mirror. He slowly caressed Doyoung’s neck, where the barely covered marks laid. “Mr. Kim again… that asshole. I can’t believe Madam Red lets him keep booking you.” 

“It’s fine. It doesn’t hurt anymore.” 

Ten sighed, there was no point in discussing this and ruining their time together. He grabbed a bottle of lubricant from Doyoung’s boudoir and handed it to him. Ten went back to the bed and laid down. “Help me? I have an appointment soon.”

Doyoung sat next to him and Ten opened his legs on command. This was kind of their thing, prepping each other so other men could take them. It was strictly prohibited in the mansion, the concubines touching each other, kissing, fucking, but they had the feeling Madam Red knew about them but didn’t say anything because they were both the most famous and wanted boys from the house. It was in Madam Red’s best interest to keep them happy. So they did this often and didn’t took nearly as many precautions as they should. 

“Who is it tonight?” Doyoung asked, rubbing the oil between his fingers to warm it up and stealing a kiss from Ten in the process.

“I don’t know. Someone new.” he closed his eyes, waiting for Doyoung’s fingers to work like magic on him.

“Be careful then. I’ll have the bathtub ready for when you come back.”

  
  
***

“And this would be your room.” 

Doyoung had been unable to close his mouth in awe the second he stepped inside the mansion. This had been the fanciest place he had been in his life. The walls were covered in beautiful paintings, the carpet under his feet was probably softer than cotton and the entire place smelled of fresh flowers. 

On his tour through the house, they crossed ways with some of the most beautiful boys Doyoung had ever seen. They were all dressed in fancy silk robes, had perfect and fair skin, their hair shone in the bright light coming from the many windows the mansion had and they all smiled at him pleasantly. Doyoung had never received so many smiles at him, his presence usually met with scowls and disdain. 

What  _ Madam Red  _ -as she had introduced herself in the carriage- called ‘his room’, was just something he couldn’t believe. A bed so tall and big he probably would have to use a ladder to get in it, with a veil falling over it, almost princess like. A boudoir with a mirror, a  _ private bathroom  _ with a huge bathtub and a closet filled with silks as beautiful as the ones the other boys were wearing. Doyoung was speechless. 

“If you accept, all of this will be yours. I will feed you and clothe you, you won’t ever have to steal or work your pretty hands to exhaustion again. But…” she made a pause, forcing Doyoung to stare at her instead of the beautiful room. “You will give me your everything.  _ This  _ will be your life, your reality. This is a deal for life, Doyoung.”

“I…” Doyoung didn’t know what to say. He was only sixteen. Taking a decision like this at such a young age… “You haven’t… you haven’t told me what the job is, ma’am.”

“Oh, sweetheart. You  _ know  _ what the job is.”

Doyoung felt his entire face go red. 

“So? What’s it gonna be?”

Doyoung took a last look around him. “I can’t, ma’am. I’m thankful, but I can’t leave my boys alone. I’m sorry.” 

“Your boys.” she smiled. It looked weird on her, Doyoung thought. “I like your loyalty, Doyoung. I admire that in such a young kid. So how about this… You stay here and I will send your pay directly to those kids you love so much.” 

When Madam Red told him that, it felt like a wave of relief for Doyoung. He would sell his body and his life a thousand times for them, wasn’t that exactly what he was already doing? And if he got to have all of this for him in the process, hell… he didn’t even have to think about it. But the thought of never seeing his family again terrified him. Who would take care of them? Minhyung was the oldest after him and he was still a baby in Doyoung’s eyes. Who would cuddle them to sleep when they were scared? Who would be there when they got sick?

The thought made Doyoung tear up.

“Kid? Are you okay?” 

“Can I… can I go see them one last time, to say goodbye?”

  
  
  
Doyoung remembers as if was yesterday, the day he met Ten. 

After he said yes to Madame Red and before he could service anyone at all, he was taken under the care of the mansion’s staff and thoroughly cleaned inside and out. They trimmed his hair, scrubbed his skin clean, manicured his nails, shaved his entire body and then taught him to do it to himself. They taught him table manners, taught him how to speak and behave properly, introduced him to his new family. 

And it was during this process that he met him. The most beautiful human being Doyoung had ever seen. He had only been in the mansion for a few months and he was already famous. He was graceful, gorgeous, wherever he went all the eyes fell on him. Just the way he moved was enough to call everyone’s attention, and Doyoung was just one more of the many entranced by his beauty.

However, his perception of him changed quickly. 

At first, they didn’t get along at all. Where Doyoung was soft, Ten was sharp and where Ten was soft, Doyoung was sharp. 

It was hard for Doyoung to fit in at first. All the other boys were so well behaved, so delicate and elegant. Doyoung was raised by the streets, he didn’t know how to act in such a place, no one ever taught him, and Ten found this  _ hilarious.  _

He used to mock Doyoung about everything he could. It seemed as if he was watching his every move, waiting for him to mess something up to make fun of him and make the other boys laugh, too. Because if Ten was popular with the customers, the boys from the house adored him. He was basically their leader, drawing the attention of everyone around him, and it seemed like all the boys did where things to impress him, expecting his approval. 

So, Doyoung’s first few weeks at the mansion were lonely as hell. All of his nights he spent them crying. Thinking about his boys, how they were doing, if they were cold or scared or hungry. And on top of all that, he had to deal with Ten’s annoying remarks. 

He still remembers the first time he tried to sneak out to go see his kids. It was late at night, or very early in the morning. The last guests had left and the house slept. He went down the stairs quietly, crossed the front door and got to the main gates. But as he was climbing them, a guard caught him by the ankle and dragged him back into the mansion. Doyoung’s screams woke everyone up. 

Madam Red had no expression on her face when she ordered: “Tie him up in the backyard. Twenty lashes.”

The guard dragged him mercilessly and all Doyoung could do was cry and yell for forgiveness. 

“Madame Red! Wait!” 

Doyoung could see through his tears how Ten made himself way between all the curious spectators towards Madame Red and whispered something to her. She seemed to think about something, looking at Doyoung with apprehension. 

“His debut is in just a few weeks, Madame.” 

She sighed and turned around. “Twenty four hours in the dark closet, then.”

The last thing Doyoung saw was Ten’s worried gaze as they dragged him away. 

  
  


Twenty four hours later Doyoung was back in his room. Exhausted, thirsty and starving, but at the same time too embarrassed to go down to the kitchens and ask for anything. 

And it was Ten who came to his rescue once again. 

He was carrying a tray with a jug of water and sliced fruit. “Doyoung? Are you okay?”

Doyoung drank the water desperately. “Thank you.” he muttered after downing the entire jar and taking a piece of fruit. “For… saving me yesterday.” 

“What were you even trying to do?” Ten asked, sitting in front of him. “Were you really trying to run away?”

Doyoung shook his head. “No. No, I just wanted to go see someone for a little while.” 

“You’re more stupid than I thought, then.” he stood up to leave. “Your old life is over. There are no such things as  _ feelings  _ in here, Doyoung. It’s time to grow up.”

“The only reason I’m here in the first place is because I  _ have  _ feelings.” Doyoung spat. “Or what? You expect me to believe everyone here is on their own will? That there are no bigger, greater reasons behind this?”

Ten laughed. “I don’t know about anyone else. But I only have myself, and I  _ love  _ expensive things. Oh, but I’m sorry mister sentimental, for being such a superficial creature.”

“You are  _ vile _ .”

“ _ I  _ saved you from getting twenty whips, you moron.”

Ten slammed the door on his way out. 

  
  


***

Ten almost came undone around Doyoung’s fingers, but he took them out before it happened. 

“Make me come… Please, Doyoungie…” he whined. Doyoung cleaned his fingers with a tissue.

“It’s going to be easier this way.” 

Ten sighed. It was true. Last time he had gone to a client after coming with Doyoung he had been unable to get hard again, and his client left unsatisfied. Even if he was usually on the receiving end, some clients took his hardness as a way of verifying he was actually having a good time. Madame Red only scolded him, but he managed to get away from it easily. 

“I’ll be back before you have to go to your appointment, to return the favor.” Ten extended his arms, asking for a kiss. Doyoung eagerly gave it to him. 

“Make sure no one sees you sneaking into my room, okay?” he whispered against his lips. After one last kiss, Ten left. 

Doyoung waited for him to come back patiently. The appointments usually lasted less than an hour. Men just wanted one thing and most of them were pretty fast and straightforward to get it. Sometimes they liked to chat for a while, but even then they usually left quickly. 

Soon enough, Doyoung became to worry. He filled the tub with hot water when he thought Ten would cross the door any minute now, but that never happened. He decided to bathe on his own so he wouldn’t waste all the effort of filling the tub, but a feeling of dread on the bottom of his stomach stayed there through his entire routine. He prepped his body just like he did with Ten, but for him, fingering himself felt more like a mechanical, almost surgical act that didn’t give him any pleasure. 

A maid came looking for him when his appointment arrived, and he pleasantly smiled and joined her through the corridors towards the red rooms, as the boys in the house used to call them. Was Ten still in one of these rooms? The layout of this wing of the mansion was interesting. The rooms didn’t have doors but curtains instead, so if anything threatening to the safety of the workers took place, the guards could intervene. But at the same time they still provided privacy to the customers, whom of course didn’t want to be recognized by other prestigious and respected members of society. 

Doyoung performed as best as he could, with Ten always on his mind. But to be honest, even when he knew Ten was safe and sound in his room he performed with Ten on his mind. 

“Smile a little for me, baby.” the man said, and Doyoung did. Of course. As naturally as he could. 

When he went back to his room he had to contain himself not to run across the hallways. 

To his utter disappointment, Ten wasn't in Doyoung’s or his own room. 

Finally, he fell asleep waiting for him. 

When he woke up, it was deep into the night. Ten was sitting on his bed, staring at him. 

Sobbing.

“What… what’s going on?” Doyoung asked confused. 

Ten could barely form words. “She…”

Doyoung used his sleeve to wipe Ten’s tears away. “Shh, breathe, my love. What is it? What happened?”

“Madame Red…” Ten almost choked on his own words. “She sold me away…” he cried. “She sold me to a family… as a slave.” 

Doyoung felt his blood run cold. 

“They are taking me away when the sun comes up.” 

Doyoung shook his head in disbelief. This wasn’t happening, this couldn’t be. He couldn't lose someone else again, not again, not after…

“Let’s do it, Doyoung.” Ten looked into his eyes with determination. Despite his tears and his fear, there still was strength in him. “Let’s run away together, let’s do it. Right now.” 

* * *


	2. frozen

_“Let’s do it, Doyoung.” Ten looked into his eyes with determination. Despite his tears and his fear, there still was strength in him. “Let’s run away together, let’s do it. Right now.”_

With shaking hands, Doyoung lit up a candle. What greeted him were Ten’s disorbitated eyes staring back at him. 

“Listen to me. We… can sneak out through the orchard. I have everything planned! We have to cross the kitchen, yes, but the maids aren’t up yet for breakfast so we still have a couple of hours! And… and I have money! There’s an old client? He’s kind of in love with me and he’s been paying me personally. We… we have to change our clothes, of course, we can’t go out into the city in this ridiculous robes! But I think I — ”

“Wait, Ten, wait!” Doyoung touched Ten’s arm to make him stop. He was speaking so fast he couldn’t understand anything. Everything was happening so, so fast. “We need to be smart about this.”

“Smart?” Ten grabbed Doyoung by the shoulders. “Did you hear what I just said? I have _hours left,_ Doyoung! I don’t have _time_ to be smart!”

“Fuck… fuck!” 

Ten opened Doyoung’s closet and began looking through his clothes. “Where’s your training uniform? Ah, never mind I found it.” he tossed it to Doyoung, who clumsily caught it. It was a simple pair of linen pants and a long sleeved shirt who was given to him when he was still in training and he had to help in the kitchen or was put in cleaning duties. Every boy in the house had one. “Do you have any money?”

“You know I don’t.” Doyoung replied softly. He walked towards Ten and took his face between his hands, trying to calm him down. “Baby. Tell me what happened, please… I need to understand, I need to know what the situation is before we risk our lives. Because you know I will, for you, but I need to understand.”

Ten closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

“It was… strange. The man who was waiting for me in the red room treated me as a… product. He made me strip and then he looked at every part of my body, checking if I had scars or visible marks.”

“Did he touch you?”

“All over. He was so derogatory, Doie. He said his boss wouldn’t mind if he fucked me since so many men had done it before. And he got off on the idea of hitting me and bruising me if he had the chance... but I guess he couldn’t damage the goods. It was disgusting.”

Doyoung hugged him close. He knew exactly how that felt. “I’m so sorry.”

“When he was done and I got up to leave, Madame Red was waiting for me outside.” Ten sighed deeply. “I was petrified. She started talking about… this being some sort of promotion, of her being so proud of me that she was letting me go to satisfy a powerful client permanently. She said something about this person ‘collecting’ beautiful boys and that I had to leave right away.”

“Jesus...”

“I convinced her to let that man spend the night here so we could leave after the sun is up. Madame Red will probably have him over breakfast but after that...” 

Doyoung cupped Ten’s face between his hands and pressed their foreheads together. It was too much, too much information, too many questions, way too much fear. “I have a headache.”

“Just… let’s keep packing, okay? I’m gonna go to my room and I’ll be back in fifteen minutes, okay?” 

After a quick peck on the lips, Ten walked to the entrance but when he was just a few steps from leaving, there was a knock on the door.

And time stopped. 

No one moved or said anything for several seconds.

“Hide in my closet.” Doyoung whispered without moving a muscle.

Ten was petrified in front of him. Just mere centimeters from the door. If it was Madame Red and she found him there with adrenaline all over his features, it would be over. 

“Ten, please.” Doyoung whispered again. 

Ten slowly came over his shock and very, very slowly took a step back and then another, until he was at a safe distance from the door. 

Doyoung shook his head and tried to neutralize his expression before placing a hand on the knob. With a final deep breath he opened the door.

***

“Doyoung, hey, Doyoung” 

Doyoung lifted his eyes from the vegetables he was chopping. All the boys in the house had chores and this time, it was Doyoung’s turn to help in the kitchen. He liked it a lot, even if all the cooking he used to do with his kids was just chopping a few potatoes into a pot of boiling water, he loved being able to manipulate so many ingredients and smell the way dinner or lunch slowly came together thanks to him. It was even more satisfying for him to see everybody eat deliciously and vigorously the food he had prepared. He guessed it was just his nature, to take care of others. A mental image of his boys eating happily all this delicious food came quickly into his mind, but he shoved it away quickly. 

“Yes?” he replied to the person talking to him. It was Taeyong, one of his new housemates and the owner of one of the most beautiful and peculiar faces Doyoung had ever seen. He was soft spoken and nice, and he had been a great support for him since he came into the house. Doyoung considered him a friend.

Taeyong handed him a small package under the table, wrapped in a white cloth. “Shh, don’t tell anyone.” he whispered.

Doyoung nodded and gave him a small smile, hiding the package between his robes. 

Later in the afternoon, once Doyoung found himself alone in his room while the other boys were working  — he wasn’t allowed to attend any customers, yet — he carefully unwrapped the mysterious thing Taeyong had handed him. Inside, he found a small box with dried persimmons inside. He carefully took one out and tried it, and he almost teared up at how delicious it was. Doyoung had never tasted something so sweet, soft and magnificent as this. It even smelled delicious, and Doyoung felt infinitely grateful to Taeyong for gifting him such a precious candy.

He felt undeserving. 

Doyoung was interrupted by a visitor. It was Taeyong. 

“Hello,” he smiled. “Did you like my present?”

“Yes, very much. Thank you, really. I never had something like this before.” Taeyong came into the room and closed the door behind him. He had done this a couple of times before, if he didn’t have anymore clients he would come and hang out in Doyoung’s room. 

“Really? This were pretty common where I grew up but ever since I came into the house it’s been so hard to find them! Luckily, Madame Red let me go to the market the other day and I bought them without anyone noticing.”

“She lets you go out?!” Doyoung exclaimed surprised. He had never seen any of the boys going out before.

“Not on my own, obviously! I went with auntie Myunghee. But yeah, sometimes she lets me. She knows I don’t have anywhere else to go and I won’t try to run away, so.” 

Doyoung stared at the floor, remembering his punishment. “Ah…” 

“You might think it’s a good thing and you might be jealous of me, but I’m actually more jealous of you. I wish I had somewhere I wanted to run away to.” 

Doyoung offered a sweet to Taeyong, who gladly took one and they ate in silence. 

“I heard your debut is in two nights.” Taeyong said softly. “Are you nervous?”

“Yes.” Doyoung didn’t need to pretend with his friend. He was petrified at the mere thought of his first night with a client. He had never done anything as intimate as that with anyone at all, and the prospect of being in such a vulnerable position with a stranger made his legs shake. The preparations for it hadn’t been really pleasant either. Madame Red handed him oil and a wooden toy, just a bit thicker than a finger, and ordered him to try to put it in a little every night. Doyoung had tried it once and quit almost immediately. He had also been shaved everywhere  — armpits, legs, and of course, genitals and butt — which had been one of the most painful experiences Doyoung had gone through. 

“If it helps, most of us didn’t lose our virginities with our first clients, you know?”

Doyoung gave him a side glance. “Are you mocking how inexperienced I am?”

“No, silly! We lost it with each other!” he clarified. Doyoung just waited for him to explain. “Nobody knows, obviously. But we have a little agreement, every new boy that comes into the house can choose whoever they want to lose it before their debut night, and the person he chooses can’t refuse. You can pick whoever, maybe someone you’re interested in? Or the one you find the cutest? I lost it with Taeil, Taeil lost it with Jongin, Ten lost it with me — ”

“What? Really?”

“Yes! That way you won’t be as nervous and it won’t hurt as much.” 

Doyoung thought about it. He obviously prefered to take Taeyong’s offer to at least know what he was facing and what he was supposed to do, and not completely embarrass himself and Madame Red for being, well, a virgin with no experience whatsoever.

“Are the others… aware…?”

“Oh, of course! They know it’s coming and to be honest they’re all kinda wishing to be chosen! You’re pretty cute, you know?” 

Doyoung tried to control his smile to no avail. “Shut up.”

“It’s true! Ten even asked me if you had made your choice.”

“ _ Ten _ ?”

“Yeah! I don’t know why you think he doesn’t like you.”

Doyoung could think one too many reasons he thought Ten didn’t like him. For once, he was always making fun of him, always picking every little thing Doyoung did or didn’t do to make his friends laugh. Calling him names like bunny, mocking the way he chew… Did he want to take Doyoung’s virginity to mock him about it too?

Doyoung’s eyes suddenly fell on the dried sweets lying innocently on his lap. Just now Doyoung was noticing how nice the box they were in actually was. It was cardboard but with a little red ribbon around.

“Is this… is this you courting me?” he asked, looking at Taeyong straight in the eyes. 

“Maybe.” Taeyong stared back, holding his gaze the entire time. “Yes.”

Doyoung carefully closed the box and placed it on his nightstand so he could fully face Taeyong. His friend was looking calmly at him, a soft smile on his pretty face made his sharp jawline and sometimes hard expression look sweet and tender, very much like his personality. Doyoung had nothing to think about, Taeyong was the person he trusted the most, even if they had known each other for a few weeks. 

“Then… I’m saying yes too.”

***

Doyoung opened the door. 

A sleepy Taeyong made his way into the room immediately.

“What’s all the fuss about?” 

Ten jumped out of the closet, relieved to see his friend instead of Madame Red. He was so relieved he even hugged him. “Taeyong. Something terrible has happened.” 

Taeyong’s expression sobered up immediately. He looked between them, taking in their state. “What’s going on?”

“I think… I think you should sit down.”

And so, Ten and Doyoung told him everything. Taeyong listened to every detail attently, deep in thought as Ten went further into the events of the night. He was sitting on Doyoung’s boudoir, with his legs crossed and a hand holding his head, a deep frown on his face. 

After the story was over, he stayed in silence for a long time. “I’m really sorry, Ten.” he whispered sincerely. “So what are you going to do?”

Doyoung stood firmly next to Ten, and interlocking their fingers together he said: “We’re going to run away together.”

Ten looked up at Doyoung, surprised at his decisive tone. 

“Okay." Taeyong stood up from his seat. "I will help you.” he declared it as if the couple had asked for his help in the first place. “How were you thinking of getting out? Through the kitchen?” Before any of them could reply, Taeyong kept talking. “There’s only one way to safely get out of here and I’m the only one who knows about it. It will probably get locked forever once Madame Red finds out you guys ran away but… I am willing to make that sacrifice.” 

“You go out?” Ten asked, unbelieving. 

“Yes. Not that often, obviously, but enough. Remember those dried persimmons, Doyoung?”

“You told me Madame Red—” 

Taeyong laughed. “And you’re still as innocent as the day you walked in here. Anyways. You probably thought in going out through the kitchen and crossing the orchard, right? Well, you will never make it out, then. You’ll scare the animals and Madame Red wakes up the second she hears them. What you have to do is go down into the pantry inside the kitchen. There’s a window there and you have to jump out, it’s a scary jump but you won’t break anything. That’s the only window in the house that leads to a land that doesn’t belong to Madame Red. Then, you have to walk through the woods for twenty minutes or so and you’ll reach the town and after that it’s easy.”

Doyoung and Ten were listening to every word Taeyong said, recreating the route in their heads and memorizing it. Doyoung felt Ten’s hand squeezing his own, sweat forming between them just out of anxiety and fear. 

“There’s a catch, though.” Taeyong kept going. “The pantry’s floor is really loud, so you guys can’t go together right now in the middle of the night. Ten will have to go first and tomorrow during breakfast, once everybody realizes Ten is not there and things get crazy, Doyoung will follow.” 

The couple shared a look. 

“Can you do it?” Doyoung asked, scared about Ten going out on his own, walking through the woods alone at night. 

“I can.” Ten replied without any trace of hesitation in his voice. “I can do it, I’ll hide and wait for you. I promise I’ll be fine.”

Doyoung took Ten’s hands between his own and kissed his knuckles. His face crumpled in worry, anxiety, fear,  _ hope _ . His entire body was just a turmoil of emotions, twisting his stomach into a knot. “I will come, I promise.” 

Ten took Doyoung’s face between his hands. Doyoung’s gripped Ten’s wrists firmly. “I’ll see you on the other side, my love.” 

With a last kiss and a way too short hug for the both of them, they parted ways. Ten went to find his things and Taeyong went with him, leaving Doyoung alone in his room to wait for the morning to come. 

Unable to get any sleep, Doyoung looked outside of his window. He went through the escape route over and over in his head, calculating where Ten could be at the moment. He probably had reached town if everything went smoothly. Was he cold? Was he in danger? Ten was strong and smart, but Doyoung had lived on the streets and he knew how evil people could be. 

Suddenly, a memory of his boys came into his mind. It was summer and the boys were swimming in the river, playing and laughing like the kids they were. He remembered staying in the shore, looking at them with a smile on his face and one of the boys staying back with him. Jeno. He smiled and asked him if it was tiring, taking care of them. He also said that he understood. Jeno was just a ten year old boy back then, but he never seized to surprise Doyoung how mature he was. Doyoung had replied that yes, it was hard and tiring, but that he wouldn’t change it for the world. 

Looking at the stars filling the sky, Doyoung wondered how his kids were doing. After he escaped they wouldn’t get any more money and Madame Red would probably look for him wherever they were immediately after she realized he was gone. By escaping, he was putting his boys in danger, but he was determined to find them before Madame Red did. 

After what it felt like an eternity later, the sun began to brighten the sky. 

The house was waking up little by little. First the helpers in the kitchen, then whoever was on cleaning duty that morning (always an unpleasant job due to the kind of activities performed in the house every night), and lastly the last customers leaving before their wives found empty beds. 

Like every morning, auntie Myunghee who was in charge of the kitchen walked through the corridors ringing a bell to wake up the boys, calling them down for breakfast.

Doyoung wore his training uniform under his most modest robe, and under that, he tied to his body a pouch with the little possessions he owned. He had to sneak out during breakfast but still look normal enough so no one would suspect a thing. He looked at his reflection on the mirror for one last time, training his smile to make it look like he was relaxed, like he had actually slept during the night. There were dark circles under his eyes that gave him away, but there was nothing a little bit of makeup couldn't hide. He pinched his cheeks to make them pink and practiced his 'good morning' until he was satisfied. 

As soon as he heard the bell, Doyoung counted to one hundred before he left his room. He didn’t want to look too eager. 

Doyoung felt his heart beating a mile per hour. He was so close, so close to what he had dreamt of since the day he had agreed to be in this place that he couldn’t, for the life of everything he loved, fail. Ten was waiting for him, his kids were waiting for him, and before he could notice they would be together again. But first he  _ had to do this.  _

When he was a few meters away from the dining room where breakfast was served everyday, he felt a little commotion going on. Did they find out Ten was gone? Doyoung was so nervous he felt he could throw up. It didn't make any sense if Ten had been caught, it was too soon. But if Madame Red or any of the helpers found the window, it would be over for him. He didn't have a plan b. 

Doyoung almost jumped out of his skin when he felt a pair of hands circle his waist from behind. 

“Oops, sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you, Dons!” Taeil smiled. “Did you hear the good news?” 

Doyoung tried to sound as calm as possible. “Taeil. No, what good news?”

“There’s a new boy in the house! He arrived last night!”

As soon as Taeil said that, they reached the dining room and there, sitting at the head of the table with two pairs of boys on each side and wearing the same training uniform Doyoung had under his robes… was Jeno. 

To Doyoung, everything happened in slow motion. 

He locked eyes with Jeno for what it felt like a million years. But then, he felt another distressed pair of eyes looking at him in anguish. It was Taeyong, screaming at him with no words thar this was  _ it _ , the moment to go into the kitchen was  _ now.  _ Doyoung's eyes fell on the kitchen door, unsupervised, and then back to Jeno and then back to Taeyong, who had already realized something was _wrong._

But right then, everything else was interrupted by Madame Red stomping into the room and screaming bloody murder. 

“Ten is gone!" she yelled, "He’s gone! Look everywhere, everybody! Now!” 

Madame Red immediately left to the kitchen followed by two maids. 

There was chaos all around him, and Doyoung…

Doyoung was frozen.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! It's been a while, huh?   
> If you're reading this, thank you so much! If you enjoyed this, please leave me a comment! 
> 
> See you soon :)

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! 
> 
> This story was in my drafts for months, and I revisited yesterday and since then I haven't stop writing! Cheers for the end of a months-long writers block!
> 
> I would really appreciate your comments on what you think so far. See you soon :)


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